UN envoy appreciates progress in Libya's latest peace talks
Mar 28, 2015, at 02:35 pm
New York, Mar 28 (IBNS): Libyan stakeholders have reached a consensus on a range of issues, including on the need for a unity government and security arrangements, and are now convinced that there is a political solution to the country’s crisis, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Bernardino Léon, said at the conclusion of the latest round of peace talks which he praised for making “very important progress.â€
Cyclone Pam: UN reports Vanuatu islands reached with relief supplies
Mar 28, 2015, at 02:33 pm
New York, Mar 28 (IBNS): Two weeks after Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu, the United Nations says it has reached all 22 storm-affected islands of the country, with food for more than 160,000 people.
UNESCO calls for the protection of cultural heritage in Yemen
Mar 28, 2015, at 02:31 pm
New York, Mar 28 (IBNS): The escalation of armed conflict in Yemen threatens the country’s cultural heritage, warned the head of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the world body’s agency responsible for protecting cultural property.
UN condemns kidnapping of DR Congo refugees
Mar 28, 2015, at 02:30 pm
New York, Mar 28 (IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has on Friday strongly condemned the recent kidnapping of Congolese refugees by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), calling for an immediate release of those still in captivity.
Malawi leader condemns attacks on people with albinism: UN
Mar 28, 2015, at 02:28 pm
New York, Mar 28 (IBNS): The United Nations Human Rights office on Friday welcomed Malawi President Peter Mutharika's strong statement condemning the recent spate of attacks on people with albinism in his country and urged that the measures he outlined to arrest those responsible for such attacks and better protect albinos be launched “without delay.â€
Syria: WHO unable to sustain operations without funding increase
Mar 28, 2015, at 02:26 pm
New York, Mar 28 (IBNS): Ahead of next week’s third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, the United Nations health agency’s top official in the country said on Friday that more than 16 million Syrians and Syrian refugees are in need of health support, but that she had so far received no new funding to meet the $124 million needed to finance humanitarian operations in the country this year.
Court charges former Khmer Rouge leader with inhuman crimes: UN
Mar 28, 2015, at 02:24 pm
New York, Mar 28 (IBNS): The United Nations-backed court set up to bring to trial those most responsible for crimes committed during Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime on Friday announced charges against former member Ao An of “crimes against humanity of murder, extermination, persecution on political and religious grounds, imprisonment, and other inhumane acts†committed at three sites.
Ban calls on all Nigerians to vote in large numbers
Mar 28, 2015, at 02:22 pm
New York, Mar 28 (IBNS): On the eve of presidential and parliamentary elections in Nigeria,Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all Nigerians to exercise their civic responsibility by going to the polls to vote in large numbers.
Ban urges to be vigilant as Biological Weapons Convention turns 40
Mar 27, 2015, at 02:04 pm
New York, Mar 27 (IBNS): The world must continue to remain vigilant against the threat of biological weapons despite the progress made by the international community in preventing their spread, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday.
UN report shows wars in Syria and Iraq drive high asylum numbers
Mar 27, 2015, at 02:02 pm
New York, Mar 27 (IBNS):The wars in Syria and Iraq, as well as armed conflicts, human rights violations and deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions elsewhere, has pushed the number of people seeking asylum in industrialized countries to the highest level since 1992 at the beginning of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to a United Nations report released on Thursday.
2014 devastating year for Palestinians: UN report
Mar 27, 2015, at 02:01 pm
New York, Mar 27 (IBNS): Amid a surge in hostilities and an ongoing blockade, 2014 was a traumatic year for millions of people living in the occupied Palestinian territory, a senior United Nations humanitarian official said on Thursday, as the Organization released its latest report on the situation on the ground.
Ban notes Saudi Arabia’s military operations in Yemen
Mar 27, 2015, at 01:59 pm
New York, Mar 27 (IBNS): Noting Saudi Arabia’s announcement that, at the request of the Government of Yemen, it has begun military operations in the Gulf nation, United NationsSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and emphasized that despite escalation, negotiations remain the only option for ultimately resolving the crisis.
Losing sight of Middle East peace might aggravate region’s flames: UN
Mar 27, 2015, at 01:58 pm
New York, Mar 27 (IBNS): As Israeli and Palestinian parties do not appear ready to recommence talks, the international community must consider presenting a viable framework for negotiations, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process said on Thursday during his final briefing to the Security Council, noting that “this may be the only way to preserve the goal of the two-State solution.â€
Central Africa: Security Council boosts UN mission presence
Mar 27, 2015, at 01:56 pm
New York, Mar 27 (IBNS): The Security Council has agreed to boost the United Nations peacekeeping presence in the Central African Republic (CAR) amid the country's continuing instability and simmering sectarian tensions.
Security Council renews Congo mission, reduces troop numbers by 2,000
Mar 27, 2015, at 01:55 pm
New York, Mar 27 (IBNS): The Security Council passed a resolution on Thursday renewing for 12 months the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and endorsing recommendations made in the Secretary-General’s report on the strategic review of the mission.
Syria crisis worsening, warns UN relief official
Mar 27, 2015, at 01:53 pm
New York, Mar 27 (IBNS): The situation on the ground in Syria has “dramatically†worsened as the country enters its fifth year of war amid escalating fighting and targeted attacks against civilians, the top United Nations humanitarian official warned on Thursday as she urged the international community to bring the violence to an end.
Germanwings co-pilot "deliberately" crashed aircraft: French Prosecutor
Mar 27, 2015, at 01:42 am
Paris, Mar 26 (IBNS): Chief Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin, who is in charge of investigating into the crash of a Germanwings jetliner which left 150 people dead, on Thursday said that evidence from the cockpit voice recorder indicated that the co-pilot had deliberately locked the captain out of the cockpit and steered the plane into its descent.
UN marks 'Day of Remembrance' with calls to end modern slavery
Mar 26, 2015, at 01:08 pm
New York, Mar 26 (IBNS): As the international community gathers to commemorate the millions of victims exploited by slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday warned that the insidious practice of forced bondage continued to reverberate around the world in various forms, from forced labour and trafficking to sexual exploitation and captivity in slavery-like conditions.
Libya: UN report documents targeting of human rights defenders
Mar 26, 2015, at 01:07 pm
New York, Mar 26 (IBNS): Armed groups across Libya have targeted human rights defenders seeking to shed light on abuses, according to a new United Nations report that outlines a litany of violent attacks and threats against defenders in the country, and in some cases even after they are forced to leave.
UN officials urge protection for war’s youngest victims
Mar 26, 2015, at 01:05 pm
New York, Mar 26 (IBNS): The international community must act “collectively and expeditiously†to thwart the growing number of children affected by armed conflicts, United NationsSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared on Wednesday, as the Security Council met to discuss the myriad horrors faced by children caught up in wars worldwide.
International Day: Ban calls for release of UN personnel unlawfully arrested
Mar 26, 2015, at 01:04 pm
New York, Mar 26 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Wednesday for the release of all United Nations personnel who have been unlawfully arrested and detained, in a message to mark the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members.
Lowest weekly total of Ebola cases in 2015 reported: WHO
Mar 26, 2015, at 01:02 pm
New York, Mar 26 (IBNS): The first case of Ebola in three weeks was found in Liberia, prompting heightened vigilance, while the United Nations health agency noted some improvements in Guinea, where the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Guinean Scouts held campfire sensitization sessions as part of its efforts to overcome community resistance to health interventions.
UN unveils permanent memorial to victims of transatlantic slave trade
Mar 26, 2015, at 01:00 pm
New York, Mar 26 (IBNS): United Nations officials on Wednesday welcomed the unveiling at the world body’s New York Headquarters of a permanent memorial to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade which they acknowledged was one of the most horrific tragedies of modern history.
After Germanwings crash, crew members declare unfit to fly
Mar 25, 2015, at 03:25 pm
Frankfurt, Mar 25 (IBNS): After the tragic crash of its Airbus A320 in the French Alps between Barcelonnette and Digne on Tuesday with 150 people on board, Lufthansa's Germanwings airliner has announced that crew members have declared themselves unfit to fly resulting in the disruptions of several flights.
UN launches humanitarian appeal for battered Vanuatu
Mar 25, 2015, at 02:26 pm
New York, Mar 25 (IBNS): The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has launched a flash appeal for urgent funding to help with ongoing relief efforts in Vanuatu following the devastation wrought by Cyclone Pam.
UN chief urges to intensify efforts to end tuberculosis by 2035
Mar 25, 2015, at 02:24 pm
New York, Mar 25 (IBNS): With some 37 million lives saved between 2000 and 2013 through the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, it is possible to end the epidemic by 2035,Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on World Tuberculosis Day, urging leaders to recommit to ending one of humanity's top killers.
UN to unveil permanent memorial honouring victims of slave trade
Mar 25, 2015, at 02:23 pm
New York, Mar 25 (IBNS): A permanent memorial to honour the victims of one of the most horrific tragedies of modern history will be revealed at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday, when the world marks the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Amid Yemen unrest, UNICEF warns of grave child rights abuses
Mar 25, 2015, at 02:21 pm
New York, Mar 25 (IBNS): Grave violations of children’s rights are continuing to take place in Yemen, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirmed on Tuesday, on the heels of a spate of recent attacks on mosques in Sana’a that killed 12 children and injured 20.
UN official meets with Nigerian refugees in northern Cameroon
Mar 25, 2015, at 02:19 pm
New York, Mar 25 (IBNS): The United Nations refugee chief António Guterres began a two-day visit to Cameroon on Tuesday to see the impact of the displacement crises in neighbouring Nigeria and Central African Republic (CAR), which have sent over hundreds of thousands fleeing for safety.
UN rights expert urges Chile to boost efforts in fighting extreme poverty
Mar 25, 2015, at 02:17 pm
New York, Mar 25 (IBNS): The issue of poverty continues to remain “under the radar†for many Chilean policy-makers despite the country’s impressive array of anti-poverty programmes, an independent United Nations human rights expert has warned.